Lent Day 17, Friday, March 6, 2026

“Water Only Beverage”

Arrgh. The only thing worse than no caffeine might be not being able to compensate with sugary drinks.

Today’s Lenten challenge is simple, but it may not feel easy. For the next twenty-four hours, water is your only beverage. You can eat whatever you like, but when it comes to what you drink, it is water only today.

Last Friday’s challenge was no caffeine. I will confess that I developed a headache that could have gone down in the history books. But the challenge was completed, and we survived.

Since Fridays during Lent often focus on dietary discipline, it seemed only fitting to raise the level of difficulty just a little. Do not worry. Some of the upcoming challenges will feel much easier. Let’s tackle this one early.

Why is this challenge important?  When people talk about a complete fast, they usually mean no food and only water. Jesus fasted for forty days in the wilderness, and many Christian traditions still practice extended fasting during Lent.

Thankfully, that is not today’s assignment.  Today you may eat whatever you like. But when you reach for a drink, let it be water.

If you have already had something else today, simply count backward to the last non-water drink you had. Start the clock there and let twenty-four hours begin.  It may not be glamorous, but it is doable.  

Twenty-four hours. Water only. We can do this.

“On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and shouted, 'If you are thirsty, come to me and drink!  Have faith in me, and you will have life-giving water flowing from deep inside you,’ just as the Scriptures say.”(John 7:37-38, CEV)